The More Seasoned the BETTER!

I'm fresh from washing dishes and contemplating the value of the pots and pans I have. Cabinet space is starting to go at a premium and EBAY is sounding like a good alternative for many of the dust-collectors under my kitchen counters.

I remember when I got married and received various pots and pans as wedding gifts. Each time I would cook, I would wash furiously to keep them looking new and unused. You can guess that my obsessive compulsiveness didn't last too long as more cooking blemishes appeared faster than what I could spend time cleaning.

Growing up, I couldn't understand why my Mother let her pots look "messy". Now I know...

Good cooks have seasoned cookware.

My mother's favorite pans were the usually the ugliest. My grandmother's all-purpose skillet was cast-iron...a veteran of many years. My crockpot is priceless but it has a few scuff marks of it's own.

If a pot or pan wasn't marked up just a tad, that would indicate that it hadn't been used. As a matter of fact, the very items that I'm thinking about getting rid of are the ones that look the newest. I don't have use for them. They are just taking up space.

We tend to look at folks that have battle scars or that are a little bruised as if something is wrong with them when, in fact, many of those folks are SEASONED. Living life without scars or marks of growth and use is possible I suppose, but I don't think that's what I admire the most when I look at many people, especially Christians, that have some bumps and bruises. I see maturity, perseverence, and victory. I see a conqueror, many times forgiveness, and a refusal to be bitter. I see a strong will, a fighting attitude, and a mind to make it.

Life is hard and you cannot pass through without getting a little "banged up" if you choose to live life to the fullest. And I want to be USED! I want to live and experience the life God has for me. I don't think I can do that hiding out in the cabinet trying to stay shiny and new.

Now, I do have to count the cost of my desire to "live". Sometimes that stove will get really hot and at times the refrigerator will seem dark, lonely, and cold but my choice is to experience the good with the bad or not to experience at all.

I'm learning not to be afraid of the elements, afraid of the hot or the cold, the wind and the rain, the dark and the scary. I'm learning that it is more valuable to experience life than to hide out in the cabinet.

So...I choose to be used...even if it means a few scuff marks. I choose to walk through life ready to wear any scars, bruises, or burns....as BADGES of honor, courage, and proof that I'm actively involved in my life!!!

Now....I gotta go shopping. I've been told I'm not a real woman until I own a seasoned cast iron skillet. Oh...wait...I guess I need to hold off until after I clear some of my unused stuff out and sell them on EBAY.

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